Mealybugs and under vine management

Mealybugs have quickly become the bane of grape growers throughout much of New Zealand. The ability of this insect group to transmit leafroll virus from one vine to another has resulted in a large number of vines having to be removed due to this non-curable infection. Within New Zealand Winegrowers’ Vineyard Ecosystems Program, scientists are determined to discover if ground cover plants can help to reduce the adverse economic influence of grapevine leafroll virus.